Meeting in an out-of-the-way room on the Capitol’s third floor, the little-understood Rules Committee rarely generates headlines. But because the chairman controls which bills can come to the House floor for votes and whether they can be amended, it is immensely powerful.

As chairman, Dreier was unfailingly polite and quick with a smile. But he used his power mercilessly, calling the committee to order in the middle of the night, providing committee members little time to review legislation, and sending more and more bills to the floor that could not be amended.

Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, a Florida Democrat who serves on the Rules Committee with Dreier and jousted with him on the House floor had this to say in the article:

“I’m enjoying the banter with him because of his disingenuousness,” Hastings said after the debate. “He is the only person in this chamber who can take a position directly contradictory to the one he took a few minutes earlier with a straight face.”

Granted, most of the rant over at FlashReport can be filed in the circular file uner “Whining,” but you’ve really got to admire these guys for their ability to spin a paint brush with the mastery of Picasso.

My favorite part was the closing of the commentary where readers are encouraged to visit the blog post and comment. LOL! This suggestion from one of the few blogs that actively deletes any and all posts that run contrary to their “party line.” Heck, even Matt over at Red County/OCBlog will let people post contrary perspective so long as commenters are “civil.”

I don’t even bother to try to comment on FlashReport anymore because when I do my comments are ‘deleted in a Flash.’

I think it is safe to claim that after almost six months of Democratic control of the Congress, the Republican minority is living under the most open leadership to minority perspectives in congressional history.